In certain prior art, inverters, converters, and other devices that output regulated electrical current can include some kind of current sensor or transducer. The current sensor signal is typically fed back to a controller that changes drive signals that control the power output of the device. Commonly, such a current transducer will include some type of ferric core, shield, or concentration mechanism. In some configurations, the current transducers are coupled to the output terminals of a converter or inverter such that the current transducers can feed a signal back to the controller of the device.
For example, a current measurement device can be placed around or on the output terminals of the power device. These current measurement devices can be incorporated within the same enclosure as the rest of the inverter or converter components. Being placed within the same enclosure offers some advantages and disadvantages. One illustrative disadvantage to placing these devices within the same enclosure is the amount of heat that is accumulated or realized from all the heat sources in the device. Heat can convect into the current transducer from heat-generating components (e.g., power switching transistors) of the device, heat can be conducted into the current transducer from heat-generative components of the device, and the current transducer can be heated by energy that is coupled into the current transducer from the electro-magnetic energy within the enclosure. With the contribution all of the above thermal loading factors, thermal energy can increase to limit the operational temperature range of the device, among other things. Thus, it is desired to provide an electrical power device with a current transducer which has a cooling capability.